Maximalism is one of those wonderful terms that pretty much defines itself. In stark contrast to minimalism, films that can be described as maximalist will emphasize spectacle, scale, and bombast, with filmmakers likely approaching movies witha “more is more” attitude. Subtlety doesn’t tend to be the name of the game, here, and maximalist movies are often dizzying and overwhelming.
The good ones are exhausting in a good way, though,because it can be thrilling to get in-your-face style, awe-inspiring visuals, and overwhelming sounds all hitting at the same time. These movies will sometimes cross over into numerous genres and comment on the nature of art/filmmaking itself, with the very best films that fit into the maximalism style being ranked below, starting with the fairly spectacular and ending with the most spectacular.
10’Brazil' (1985)
Director: Terry Gilliam
Brazilis unafraid to getwild, confusing, and mind-bending, all the while being quitefunny, satirical, and visually unlike anything else. The premise is technically simple, being about a dystopian society and one unassuming man’s plunge into madness and psychological deterioration, but it’s the style and the sheer quantity of things that happen to the hapless protagonist that makeBrazilfeel big.
Terry Gilliam’s directed other movies that feel more than a little maximalist, butBrazilcould be his opus in this regard… or just his greatest single film in general.It’s a science fiction film unlike any other, especially because just calling it a sci-fi movie is underselling or misrepresenting it. Getting through the whole thing is quite tiring, but it’s a worthwhile watch for the sheer amount it offers; almost too much.
Brazil (1985)
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9’Moulin Rouge' (2001)
Director: Baz Luhrmann
Love him or hate him, you can’t deny thatBaz Luhrmannis one of the most prominent directors who favors maximalism working today. His filmographymight only have a handful of feature filmswithin it,but each movie of his feels bigger than just one movie, which in turn makes that body of work feel bigger. Of all his films, the one that might just havethe most “everything” is 2001’sMoulin Rouge.
This is a jukebox musicalpacked with well-known 20th-century songs, even though it takes place at the turn of the 20th century. It’s also a sweeping and knowingly melodramatic romance film and unashamed tragedy, constantly barreling forward and having wild camerawork, not to mention very few shots that seem to last more than a few seconds. It’s a lot, but you kind of had to admire just how much.
Moulin Rouge!
8’Babylon' (2022)
Director: Damien Chazelle
Underrated, overblown, subversive, gross… all words that can and have been applied toBabylon, which was a film that could certainly be described as divisive. ItsawDamien Chazellepush things furtherthan he had before, both in terms of style and intensity, which is certainly saying something, considering how grandLa La Landwas and how nail-bitingWhiplashhad been.
Babyloncaptures excess, triumph, and heartbreak in Hollywood at the dawn of the talkie, looking at how people were chewed up and spat out by a system, particularly those whose skills were more applicable to silent movies. It both celebrates cinema and acknowledges how terrible the film industry can be, which might sound like a contradiction… but when your movie is more than three hours long, has this many characters, and attempts to explore this much,you can kind of get away with it, and Chazelle did.
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7’Watchmen' (2009)
Director: Zack Snyder
Though theWatchmengraphic novelwas once considered unfilmable, it did eventually get a movie adaptation in 2009, and a largely successful one at that. No, it wasn’t quite as nuanced as the original text, and certain changes were made, but it was able to bring the world of the graphic novel to life, and remain rather faithful visually, looking a great deal like a comic book brought to life.
It stands as arguablyZack Snyder’s best superhero/comic book movieso far, and it ambitiously packs a lot into a runtime of less than three hours. There aremultiple characters, mysteries, and action set pieces throughout, complete with tons of slow motion and consistently bold visuals. It might not be beloved by everyone, but there’s so much inWatchmenthat it’s hard not to come away at least a little impressed.
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6’War and Peace' (1966-1967)
Director: Sergei Bondarchuk
WhileWar and Peacedoesn’t necessarily deal with absurdity on a thematic or narrative level, it is absurd that the whole thing exists and ultimately works as well as it does.This film goes further than most epic movies, being released in four parts while telling one continuous story, and adding up each section of it gives you a movie that runs for approximately seven hours.
Leo Tolstoy’s novel of the same name was a beast of a book itself, soWar and Peacedoes earn the right to be that long, and quite surprisingly never drags throughout its runtime.It looks at the Napoleonic Warsand has some stunning battle sequences, as well as impressive non-action scenes, with some of the “Peace” portions ofWar and Peaceproving just as stunning as the “War” parts. It’sa phenomenal film, and one where you’ll probably be asking yourself “Wait, how did they even make this?” every five minutes or so.
War and Peace
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5’Magnolia' (1999)
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
With the exception ofHard Eight,Paul Thomas Anderson’s early filmsgenerally went pretty big, withMagnoliatopping even the size and ambition ofBoogie Nightsto become a maximalist film. It does this while also being a rather direct drama, because there aren’t really too many other genres you could slot Magnolia into.
One of 1999’s best films,Magnoliaalso takes place over a short period of time for a big, grand, sweeping movie, not so much being an epic in the traditional sense but feeling that way on a more intimate level. Numerous characters are depicted dealing with struggles in their lives, some related and some separate from each other, all building to one event at the movie’s end that kind of, sort of unites all.It’s a larger-than-life movie, emotionally, but it also really just deals with life, confronting the complications within it.
An epic mosaic of interrelated characters in search of love, forgiveness and meaning in the San Fernando Valley.
4’Napoléon' (1927)
Director: Abel Gance
Napoléonwas released in the year when sound films began being released, and feels like the culmination of what silent cinema was capable of (though it could well have been pushed further somehow, without the advent of sound).It was intended to be one part of a film series thatlooked at the life of Napoleon Bonaparte, with this film being the only one released, and largely following his early years.
Still, one epic ended up being a true epic in every sense of the word, because 1927’sNapoléon, at over five hours, runs about the length of three movies. There is a ton here, and it’s all captured with bravado and style not seen in many other films of its era. It wasbig and forward-thinking from a technical perspective, and still has the power to wow viewers almost a century on from its release.
Napoléon (1927) is a French silent film directed by Abel Gance, chronicling the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte from his early days in the military to his invasion of Italy. Featuring Albert Dieudonné in the titular role, the film is renowned for its ambitious cinematic techniques and epic scale, capturing the fervor and ambition of one of history’s most compelling figures.
Director: George Miller
More likeMad Maximalism, right? TheGeorge Millerseries had gotten pretty wildbefore 2015, butMad Max: Fury Roadtook things to a whole other level. As an action movie, it’s pretty much non-stop, largely taking place on the road in a post-apocalyptic desert, following the titular character as he gets wrapped up with a woman named Furiosa, who’s staging a desperate escape with several other women from the clutches of a warlord.
The wholemovie almost feels like one big action scene, with dazzling explosions, a consistently fast pace, and plenty of visual splendor to marvel at across its two-hour runtime.Mad Max: Fury Roadpushes things right to the limit, never quite feeling like too much, but always feeling like “a lot” in the best way possible,making it understandable why it’s considered a definitive 21st-century action/sci-fi movie.
Mad Max: Fury Road
2’Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse' (2023)
Directors: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson
Asharply written and thrillingly expansive sequel,Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Versetakes the big, mind-bending ideas found inSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verseand goes even bolder and wilder. That 2018 film featured numerous Spider-People, butAcross the Spider-Verseshowcases so many more, and the action of the film allows the main characters to jump between a higher number of different universes, too.
There is so much going on inAcross the Spider-Versethatnot only are rewatches desirable, but they’re almost mandatoryif you want to take in everything that’s on offer.Whether the series can continue to reach new heights remains to be seen, but bothInto the Spider-VerseandAcross the Spider-Verseare excellent, with the latter technically being more of a maximalist movie because of that sense of escalation in every conceivable way.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
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1’Everything Everywhere All at Once' (2022)
Directors: Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
As might’ve been implied by aforementioned titles likeMad Max: Fury RoadandSpider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, maximalism has been particularly maximalist in more recent times,enough to even suggest that the 2010s and 2020s might be a golden era for this kind of movie. Maybe it’s a sign of the times, with lives being busier and entertainment having to be big and complex to grab one’s attention, for better or worse. Of the recent maximalist movie wave, nothing feels quite as big or complex as the groundbreakingEverything Everywhere All at Once.
There are almost too many ways to praise this one.It’s one of the best A24 movies, it’sa borderline perfect martial arts film, and it’s one of thebest comedies to ever win Best Pictureat the Oscars. It unpacks the concept of a multiverse in an engaging and ever-expanding way, belonging to every genre while also succeeding in being very sad, funny, and strangely relatable.Everything Everywhere All at Oncelives up to that title, and feels like the gold standard, at least for now, of what a maximalist movie can achieve.
